Ice and Steel
by Setep Ka Tawy
Summary: Who's to say that dueling is the only form of self-expression for Seto Kaiba? Ice skating is just as intense, and just as liberating. Mild language, and a short appearance by the geek squad. No pairings. Please read and review!


This was - unexpected. I blame it entirely on my friend, who was watching the US Men's Nationals for figure skating, and thought one skater's outfit was reminiscent of our favorite CEO. And.... my imagination took over from there.

Author's Note: Though I've watched figure skating since I was a kid, I'm still not very knowledgeable about the technicalities and such, so I tried to make it seem as though Seto really knew what he was doing without me butchering a lot of technical aspects of skating. I may or may not have succeeded.

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

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**Ice and Steel**

Seto's breath left his lips in a soft cloud of vapor as warmth met the sharp chill of the air around him. A slight shiver followed, rippling down his back, but he shrugged it away. Some people might have wondered why he had removed his coat in such a low, if artificial, temperature, leaving him in only loose shirt and slacks - winter was stereotypically a time for multiple layers. But the CEO wasn't concerned either with others' opinions or his own current manner of dress. Let them flaunt their protests - it wasn't as though "they" were real anyway.

He knew what he was doing.

For the third time, Kaiba's eyes scanned his surroundings carefully, and then dropped again in satisfaction. Excellent - no one else was here. Arriving early and planning for a weekday, when the adults were working and the kids in school, had definitely been a smart move.

The faintest hint of a smile graced Seto's features as his nimble fingers returned to the task of lacing up his skates. A kind of restrained eagerness helped considerably in speeding up this tedious process, and less than a minute later, the task was complete. Still comfortably balanced, he rose.

A moment later, steel had cut open the unmarked ice.

The young CEO found himself gliding easily around the perimeter of the rink, despite not having skated in a month or two. This skill, he noted, curving absently away from the wall, seemed to be one that was disinclined to deteriorate with the passage of inactive time.

Digging the blade of one skate against the ice, which resulted in a thin, fine spray of snow beneath his feet, Kaiba twirled to a full stop in the center of the rink. Already, he was feeling a small pulse of exhilaration, reveling in the freedom of his movement. He remained in his place for a few seconds, savoring the harsh cold of his environment. Then, abruptly, he kicked his foot against the ice and soared off again. It occurred to him that the public rinks usually had some sort of music playing in the background. Not that he was complaining about the silence - he much preferred to listen only to the stark sound of his blades scarring the frozen surface below him.

As his speed increased gradually, so did the intricacies and nuances of the dance he was weaving in the solitude of the rink. Simple sweeps of his skates melded and evolved into a complex series of footwork as his blades alternately touched down and lifted again, switching edges and flowing around one another with admirable agility and perfect precision. But the rest of his form did not remain immobile. Instead, the movement of his upper body provided and elegant counterpoint to the vibrant rhythm of his feet - extending, arching, pulling back again.

This sudden and intense release of energy was an external tempest which afforded Seto the luxury of exposing the limits of his inner discipline. He was challenging his own self - control, trying to see how far outward he could break while still maintaining an inward sense of calm composure. Skating on ice, much like dueling, was the freedom of self and expression tempered by the restraints of reality; and a growing sensation of subtle power rose within Kaiba as his own spirit defied the stifling cold around him.

Almost without conscious thought, he severed the flow of his footwork, reversing direction completely and building speed in a swift arc around the rink. For a few calculated seconds, he simply breezed along, mind and body fixed in careful preparation. Then, his features tight with focus, he swept one foot down hard against the ice. His body was immediately propelled upward in a tight airborne spin; and almost as soon as it had happened, the young CEO had landed again, gliding out of the jump with an expression of fierce triumph flaring in his eyes.

Halfway through his next circuit of the rink, he felt a violent thrill of discomfort as he saw that he was no longer alone.

Seto blinked in surprise, then immediately skated off as fast as he could to the opposite side of the ice. His attempts to appear casual and unaware of the unexpected visitors were offset by the colorful words now dropping rapidly from his lips - he didn't appreciate being caught off his guard like this. Of all the people to interrupt him _now_, when he was _here_ - it had to be the geek squad. What the hell did they want? He wondered how long they had been standing there, just watching him. And Mokuba wasn't even here to back him up, damn it. Oh, this was going to be a _nightmare_....

Sighing with frustration, he stalled for time by continuing to move randomly about the rink, trying to decide on his best course of action. He couldn't just keep going in circles, as he was now - Yugi and company had already seen he was capable of far more than that. So, his choices were to skate as he had been doing before, or to simply leave. But either way, he was going to have to confront his unwanted stalkers.

Then, suddenly, he found that he'd made up his mind. Let them watch, let them snicker - why should he care? He wasn't going to be scared off, not by them - they didn't deserve that satisfaction. Determination refueled his confidence, and he was from this point resolved to ignore them.

Of course, that became slightly more difficult when he realized that _they_ were intent on skating too. So much for avoiding immediate confrontation. Drifting back and forth across the ice directly opposite from the entrance, he watched with narrowed eyes as Téa Gardner entered the rink first, then paused to help the others. She, at least, seemed to know what she was doing. The other four - Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Ryo - were clearly uncertain about their chances of staying balanced.

_Amateurs_, Seto thought, derisively.

After a few moments, Yugi looked up and waved. "Hey there, Kaiba!" he called over brightly.

The CEO paused in his movement, closing his eyes momentarily. Why, why, _why?_

"Yeah, okay," he muttered to himself, starting off again. "Yugi - just stay over there, why don't you?" He tried to concentrate on his footing - left, right, left, right - but seeing as each stroke was instinctive, it didn't provide much of a distraction. Curiosity took over then, and against his conscious will, he glanced at the group again as he slid past. A smirk appeared on his face. Most of them seemed to be doing all right, for beginners, but Wheeler's inherent clumsiness was asserting itself once again. Even as Seto watched, the other slipped, flailing ineffectively, and subjected himself to a familiar and painful introduction to the ice.

Unable to resist the opportunity, Kaiba skated fluidly over, slowing as he went passed the others. "You do it like this, Wheeler," he said pointedly, mockingly. He sped up again, and a short distance away, stepped into a tight upright spin, his body arched backward, his arms tucked against his chest and then slowly rising upward before dropping back to his sides. Abruptly, he ended the rapid series of rotations so that he was facing the group again. The CEO lifted his head, and there was a challenge in his flashing eyes, as though daring any one of them to to either best him or ridicule him.

"Show-off," Joey muttered, regaining his footing with Téa's help.

"Actually, I think it's quite impressive," Ryo said mildly.

"I'm with Bakura on this one," Yugi agreed. He looked over at Kaiba with an admiring smile. "How did you get so good at this? Téa skates pretty well, and - no offense to her - she's still not as good as you are."

Seto folded his arms, a faint smile curving his lips. "You of all people shouldn't have to ask that, Yugi. How does anyone become proficient at what they do?"

"Practice," Téa answered immediately, and then sighed. "And it looks like I need more of it, after watching you, Kaiba." She looked up at him curiously. "But, we didn't know you liked to skate."

"That's probably due to the fact that I never mentioned it."

"That would do it," observed Tristan, who was hanging onto the wall to stop himself from repeating Joey's performance.

Seto made no reply to this. The conversation was quickly failing to hold his interest. "If that's all...." he said finally, turning to move away. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to skate anymore, not if the others were going to be blundering all across the rink.

"I don't suppose you'd want to, maybe, help me a little?" Téa inquired after him.

The CEO turned his head, his face blank. "Why bother?" he replied bluntly. "You're doing better than the rest of them."

"Oh, forget it," she muttered. "Okay, Yugi, you're first."

"Why me?" Yugi protested, his face turning slightly pink as she took his hand.

Téa winked at him. "Because I picked you. Now come on. Keep your knees bent, and lean forward a little...."

Kaiba rolled his eyes as he skated smoothly away from them. His annoyance was soon forgotten, stroked away by the feeling of the cold breeze rushing past him, ruffling his clothing and hair. The geek squad could wobble around the perimeter as much as they liked - he was determined that they weren't going to interfere with his own activities.

When he successfully performed another jump, he could feel their eyes riveted on him - but he also found that he no longer cared. Here he was master of himself and his surroundings, in a way so different from being president of an international corporation, that the two could not be compared.

His body curved in a graceful spiral across the ice - one blade supporting his slender frame, the other extended easily behind him. His arms were outstretched as though in triumph, and on his face was an expression as close to ecstasy as his normally cold features could ever show.

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I hope you enjoyed it! A bit of a change from my usual morbid and/or depressing stories. Please review! May the Force be with you.


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